Unearthed Arcana

SPONTANEOUS METAMAGIC

One of the more radical concepts recently introduced to the D&D game is the metamagic feat. These feats allow spellcasters to tinker with their spells' range, area, damage, components required, and even casting time. While such options existed in previous editions of the game, they usually required the caster to use other spells to affect his magic, tather than relying on pure talent.

However, this new option comes with a significant cost, particularly for those casters who prepare spells (such as clerics, druids, and wizards). Such characters must plan in advance which spells they wish to use their metamagic feats on, and prepare those spells in the appropriate higher-level spells slot. This requirement forces the character to guess which spells will be needed in which situations. If a caster anticipates being grappled, a stilled spell would be extraordinarily valuable - but which one? If a character expects to be sneaking around, she should consider using Silent Spell on one or more of her spells - but how many? In many cases, these choices are for naught, since the caster ends up using her silent magic missile in ordinary combat or her enlarged fireball in a space to small to take advantage of the expanded range.

Characters who son't prepare spells in advance (such as bards and sorcerers) have a distict advantage in that they can choose to use their metamagic feats "on the fly"; that is, at the time of casting. The cost is an extended casting time (making Quicken Spell a useless option for such characters), but this cost is rarely balanced with that paid by other spellcasters.

The two variant systems descibed below give more variety and options to the metamagic-using spellcaster. With either of these variants, a spellcaster doesn't have to prepare metamagic versions of her spells in advance (if she normally prepares spells) or spend full-round actions to cast metamagic spells (if she doesn't prepare spells). Nor do metamagic spells take up higher-level spell slots.

Instead the "cost" for using a metamagic feat is applied in one of two different manners. The first applies the cost as additional spell slots. The second restricts the number of times per day the feat can be used.

Regardless of the variant you use, the Insidious Magic and Tenacious Magic feats (both from the Forgotten Realms(R) Campaign Setting) don't use the normal metamagic rules. Since they automatically affect all of a caster's spells, they never require higher-level slots or have any limit on the maximum spell level affected.

For both of these variants, the prerequisites for selecting a metamagic feat, and the effects of the feat itself, remain the same as given in the feats' descriptions (except when otherwise noted).

DAILY USES

With this variant, a character who selects a metamagic feat gains three daily uses of that feat that she can opt to use "on the fly" without previous preparation, increased spell level, or extended casting time. Tha character must decide when casting the spell if she wishes to apply the effect of one of her metamagic feats to the spell.

The macimum level of spell to which a caster can apply a metamagic feat is equal to the maximum spell level she is capable of casting (based on her level and ability scores), minus the spell level adjustment of the metamagic feat. If the result of this calculation is less than 0, the character can't apply the metamagic feat to any of her spells.

For instance, a 5th-level wizard is normally capable of casting spells of up to 3rd level. If she chooses to apply her Silent Spell metamagic feat (which uses a spell slot one level higher than normal) to a spell, the maximum level of spell that she can apply it to is equal to 3 minus 1, or 2nd. Thus, she may make any of her 0-, 1st-, or 2nd-level spells silent. If she had the Maximize Spells feat, she could apply it only to 0-level spells (since a maximized spell is normally cast as a spell three levels higher, and 3 minus 3 is 0). Quicken Spell woulc be of no use to this wizard, since she couldn't even apply is to 0-level spells.

A caster can apply more than one metamagic feat to a spell, or even the same metamagic effect more than once (if allowed by the feat's description). However, to determine the maximum level of spell that can be so affected, add together all the spell level adjustments given for the various feats. A 9th-level wizard could enlarge and empower any spell of 2nd level of lower (since her maximum spell level is 5th, and the total spell level adjustment for Empower Spell and Enlarge Spell is 3). If a feat may be applied more than once to the same spell (such as Empower Spell), each application counts as one of the caster's three daily uses.

Each time a character selects a metamagic feat, she gains three daily uses of that feat- Multiple selections of the same feat are cumulative. For instance, if a caster selects Empower Spell twice, she may use the feat six times per day rather than three.

In this variant system, the Heighten Spell feat functions slightly differently from other metamagic feats. You may use the Heighten Spell feat to increase a spell's effective level (for purposes of such factors as save DCs and so on) up to the maximum spell level you are capable of casting. For instance, a 3rd-level cleric could heighten a 0-, or 1st-level spell to 2nd-level, while a 7th-level druid could heighten a 0- through 8th-level spell to 9th level. The spell is treated as a spell of that level for purposes of save DC and similar effects, but doesn't require a higher-level spell slot.

EXTRA SPELL SLOTS

With this variant, a caster mist expend ectra spell slots in order to apply the effects of a metamagic feat. These spell slots must be of a level equal to or higher than that of the spell being modified by the metamagic feat. In essence, the character pays for the metamagic effect by "using up" other spells of the same of higher level. The caster need not prepare the metamagic version of the spell ahead of time, and the spell's actual level and casting time are unchanged from normal.

The number of extra spell slots required is equal to the spell level adjustment of the feat. For example, a wizard who wants to cast a quickened magic missile would expend the magic missile spell, plus four additional spells of 1st-level or higher.

If the caster has more than one spellcasting class, all extra spell slots expended must come from the same spellcasting class as the spell to be modified. A 7th-level cleric/4th-level wizard who wants to cast a maximized cure moderate wounds can't spend any of her wizard spell slots - they all must be from her cleric spellcasting ability.

A character may only expend bonus eplls from school specilization on spells of that school (so an evoker could speld her bonus 3rd-level evocation spell to pay for a metamagic feat applied to another evocation spell, but not to a spell of any other school). She can't expend domain spells to pay for a metamagic feat's added spell slot cost, even if the spell is a domain spell.

In the case of the Heighten Spell feat, a caster expends one additional spell slot for each effective level she wishes to add to the spell. To heighten a fireball to the equivalent of a 5th-level spell, a caster must expend two extra spell slots of 3rd level or higher.

A caster can apply more than one metamagic feat to a spell, or even the same metamagic feat more than once (ig allowed by the feat's description). She must simply pay the additional cost in spell slots. Fir instance, a wizard casting a stilled and silent invisibility spell would spend two spell slots in addition to the invisibility spell: one for Still Spell and a second for Silent Spell.

If a caster doesn't have enough remaining spell slots to cast the metamagic spell, she can't apply that metamagic effect to the spell.

COMBINING THE VARIANTS

You could combine the two metamagic variants presented above. Using a combined system, a metamagic-enhanced spell would cost additional slots (as noted in the second variant), but the caster would have a maximum spell level to which she could apply her metamagic feats (as in the first variant). This combined approach limits the immediate effect of metamagic feats in the game (because of the spell level limit) while simultaneously assigning a very real cost to their use (additional spell slots).

BEHIND THE CURTAIN: SPONTANEOUS METAMAGIC

The first variant limits the immediate effect of metamagic feats on a character's power level, just as in the standard rules. A character who picks up Quicken Spell can't immediately begin quickening her most powerful spells - she must initially be content using the feat only on her weakest spells. Again as with the standard rules, the variant establishes a default "minimum caster level" for each feat, since the feats are useless until a caster is capable og casting spells of high enough level to take advantage of the metamagic feat.

Unlike in the standard rules, however, a character with a metamagic feat need not weigh the value of a metamagic-affected spell against a spell of a higher level. The caster doen't have to decide whether she'd rather have an empowered magic missile or a normal lightning bolt, since the empowered magic missile doesn't require a higher-level spell slot than normal. A character using the first variant - particularly one who must prepare spells ahead of time - almost certainly uses her metamagic feats much more often than she would withuot the variant. As first, it may seem as if the character has gained significant power, but that's to be expected when a new oprion becomes available. Ultimately, the limit of daily uses keeps this new ability from getting out of hand, and the simple fact that the character had to spend a feat slot to gain the ability in the first place is still a balancing factor.

The second variant is both more and less restrictive than either the standard version of metamagic or the first variant. On one hand, a character whi relies on metamagic feats to boost her spell power goes through her available spells at a dramatically faster rate. A spellcaster who isn't careful could find her entire spell selection drained by a single battle!

On the other hand, this variant allows a spellcaster to apply a metamagic feat to her most powerful spells right away. A 9th-level caster whi picks up Quicken Spell can quicken even her 5th-level spells - but at a cost of four additional 5th-level spell slots, which few 9th-level spellcasters have. This means that metamagic feats have a more dramatic effect on combat, as characters "juice up" their most powerful spells from the moment they select the feat.

METAMAGIC COMPONENTS

With this variant, casters can produce more potent spells by using a rare and exotic metamagic component in the casting of a spell, in place of the spells's standard material component (or in addition to the spell's other components, if it has no material component).

A spellcaster who uses a metamagic component casts a spell as if a specific metamagic feat had been applied to the spell. The casting process otherwise functions as it would if the character cast the standard version of the spell. For example, a wizard can cast a widened fireball by using a 1,900 gp fire opal (the metamagic component) instead of a tiny ball of bat guano and sulfur (the material component). A wizard doesn't neet to prepare such a spell as a higher-level spell, and a sorcerer doesn't use a higher-level spell slot or take a full-round action to cast the spell. A spellcaster can use a metamagic component without having the relevant metamagic feat. The spellcaster merely chooses at the moment of casting whether to employ the material component (if any) given in the spell description or the metamagic component given in these variant rules. In either case, the casting process consumes the material component or metamagic component.

A character can't use a metamagic components to add the effect of a metamagic feat to a spell or effect created by a magic item. If a spell has an arcane material component or a divine forcus (shown in the spell description as M/DF), then a divine spellcaster must have the relevant metamagic component in addition to his holy symbol. Som spells that have expensive material components can't be made more potent by the use of metamagic components, and a few spells don't have metamagic components because there's no useful way to add the effect of a metamagic feat to them.

SPECIFIC METAMAGIC COMPONENTS

Table: Metamagic Components (below) presents a list of metamagic components for the spells in the spells sections of the srd. There's plenty of room to add metamagic components unique to your campaign, because each spell as presented here has only one metamagic component and thus only one metamagic effect associated with it. Doing so is a good way to add specific flavor to your campaign world. Perhaps all your metamagic components are chemical reagents, or maybe the dwarves in your campaign truly only use uncut gems as metamagic components. Truly evil spellcasters might use vile, disgusting metamagic components. Discovering a new metamagic component is also a useful activity for spellcasters who have time for spell research.

The table entires present a wide variety of metamagic components each belonging to one of the following categories.

Expensive Versions of Existing Material Components

True seeing, for example, requires a rare ointment as a material component. It's easy enough to imagine that by using more ointment, the spells duration can be extended. Just saying "more of the same" is a fine metamagic component for spells that already have ecpensive material components. It's also possible to design a metamagic component that's an expensive version of a free material component. Resilient sphere has a hemispherical piece of clear crystal as its material component. It has no cost, and you could find that piece of crystal in a spell component pouch. The spells metamagic component is a sphere of pure crystal worth 850 gp - just an expensive ersion of the material component given in the spell description.

Gems

Many spells already require expensive gems as material componens, and players are used to the idea that powerful magical effects sometimes require gemstones, whether cut or ground into powder. Gems make good metamagic components (from a character's point of view) becasue they're easy to carry around, they can be found as treasure, an there's the established precendent of gemstones as a source of magic power. They're a particularly good choice for particularly potent metamagic components (ones that maximize, widen, or quicken spells), because gems can easily be woth 5,000 gp or more.

Jewelry and Art Objects

Jewelry - everything from aklets to headbands - and art objects such as statuettes and carvings also make good choices for metamagic components. It feels appropriately mystical to use a golden medallion as a metamagic component for hypnotism, for example. Like gems, jewelry and art objects seem to work well as particularly expensive metamagic components because it's easy to imagine them being worth that much, and they can be found in treasure hoards.

Other Treasure

Occasionally, a weapon or other bit of treasure (usually magical in nature) finds its way into the metamagic component list when thematically appropriate. For characters who face a lot of well-equipped NPCs, being able to use treasure as a metamagic component is often a useful alternative to simply carrying an item back to town to sell it. High-level characters who would ordinarily disdain a mere +1 enhancement bonus might think twice if they know it's the metamagic component for a quickened version of align weapon.

Plant-Based Metamagic Components

Some spells, especially druid spells, have mushrooms, herbs, or other meramagic components derived from rare plants carefully grown by experts. These metamagic components, often reffered to as "druid-tended" items in Table: Metamagic Components, have a potential advantage for PCs because some characters might have the ability to grow and cultivate these plants - thereby saving some money.

To grow and harvest a plant-based metamagic component, a character mut first sow and tend the seeds, which takes one month per 1,000 gp value (or fraction thereof) of the metamagic component. At the end of that time, the character must make a Profession (herbalist) check (DC 20 + 1 per 1,000 gp value of the metamagic component) in order to harvest the plant successfully. A character can grow multiple metamagic components at a time, but each plant beyond the first one being tended adds 1 to the DC of all Profession (herbalist) checks made during that time.

Alchemical Metamagic Components

Alchemy provides another traditional source for metamagic components - there's a strong fantasy archetype of the wizard comcocting powerful substances in his dank laboratory. An entry in Table: Metamagic Components that contains some form of the word "alchemical" is a metamagic component created by the use of the Craft (alchemy) skill.

When a character sets out to concoct an alchemical metamagic component, the rules in the Craft skill description apply, except that the calculations are done in gold pieces, not silver pieces. Any new alchemical substance (such as the alchemical dreamwisp dust that is the metamagic componens for sleep) an anything alchemically treated or alchemically prepared has a Craft (alchemy) DC of 15. Alchemically distilled metamagic components (for example see ray of exhaustion) have a DC of 20, and alchemically purified metamagic components (see polymorph any object) have a DC of 25.

Alchemical metamagic components can take a very long time to make, so they°re often a poor choice (from a character's point of view) for particularly expensive metamagic components.

Planar Metamagic Components

Some metamagic components come from places beyond the Material Plane, especially in games where planar travel is common. The planes have exotic substances as well as purer, enhanced versions of common substances, and it makes sense that (for instance) rare soils from the Elemental Plane of Earth might make your move earth spell more potent.

purity is a major consideration for metamagic components of this sort; obtaining one is not simply a matter of going to the appropriate plane and scooping up a handfull of stuff. In general, it takes a day of scavenging and a DC 30 Knowledge (the planes) check to find enough of the relevant raw material in its purest form to serve as a metamagic component. Because there's no raw materials cost, planar metamagic components are a poor choice (from the DM's point of view) for more expensive metamagic components, although this is ameliorated somewhat by the fact that it takes high-level spells to reach other planes, and those other planes are perilous places.

Ritual Metamagic Components

Some items become metamagic components after they have been prepared during a series of ancient rituals. Performing the entire ritual takes one day for every 500 gp (or fraction thereof) of the value of the metamagic component. At the end of that time, the preparer must make a DC 25 Knowledge (religion) check if the components is for a divine spell or a DC 25 Knowledge (arcana) check if it's for an arcane spell in order to successfully finish the creation process.

Unless the item used for a ritual component has some intrinsic value, ritual metamagic component can be poor choies for powerful metamagic and high-level spells (from the DM's perspective), because a character with enough ranks in the relevant skill need only spend the time to aquire the component.

Fanciful Metamagic Components

The darkness spell has a metamagic component of "coal mined and kept in total darkness." While evocative, such an item is not necessarily hard for the PCs to obtain - although there's an inherent disadvantage involved because the component can become "spoiled" - a consideration that doesn't affect the other kinds of metamagic components. For instance, if the coal needed for a darkness spell (or the oil needed for deeper darkness) is ever exposed to light before the spell is cast, it looses its special properties and becomes ordinary. But legen and folk tales are rife with examlpes of extra power coming from ordinary items handled in a fanciful way. If you use such fanciful metamagic components - which appear on table: Metamagic Components only rarely - keep a close watch on how they change the economy of the game. If the PCs shy away from adventuring in favor of working as metamagic-component coal miners, the situation is out of hand.

Monster Parts

A few of the metamagic components listed on table: Metamagic Components are parts of monsters. Some players want their characters to dissect their slain foes, "harvesting" metamagic components for later use and sale.

There's a fair amount of real-world precedent for the notion that some part of a creature's power remains in its body after it's dead. Dozens of real-world cultures have rituals involving animal parts for this very reason. Fantasy literature has a rich tradition of using strange ingredients such as unicorn horns and dragon scales to accomplish great feats of magic.

But harvesting monster parts is not without it's problems. From a game balance standpoint, saying a rakshasa hide is worth 1,250 gp is tantamount to giving every rakshasa in the game world an extra 1,250 gp in treasure - yet it's treasure that the rakshasa can't use itself (other than in the obvious way). It's also treasure that the PCs can't aquire any way other than killing a rakshasa, as opposed to normal treasure, which the PCs could obtain by tricking the rakshasa or driving it off. Requiring the monster parts to be specially prepared ameliorates the problem to a degree - and generally that's what we've done - because it's assumed that much of the cost lies in the special preparation, not the on-site butchery. That pushes the problem into a corner, but it doesn't eliminate it, because a player who has enough ranks in Profession (taxidermy) skill may want to know the DC for preparing the metamagic component himself. If monster part harvesting becomes a frequent exercise in your game, carefully moniter the amount of other treasure you give out. But extracting the teech of an accasional dragonne won't break the game.

A second and thornier problem is that many players find harvesting monster parts distasteful, and some players who don't mind the idea might play characters who would be aghast at the very notion of cutting up the dead. Not only is the actual harvesting objectionable to some, but it builds in a potential conflict between characters who want to capture their foes (whether for mercy or imformation) and those who want to slay them and begin dissection. Consider carefully the perspectives of your players and their characters, and think hard about what kind of D&D game you want to run.

If your characters are interessted in doing some monster part harvesting themselves, it takes 10 minutes and a DC 15 Profession (taxidermy) check to carefully remove the relevant part, then 1 hour and a DC 20 Profession (taxidermy) check to preserve it so it won't rot or otherwise deteriorate. The embalming materials themselves cost one-tenth of the market price of the finished metamagic component. Unless you use gentle repose, the monster's body deteriorates enough after 15 minutes that you can't get a metamagic component from it.

With some monsters, it's obvious how many of a particular part they have - a beholder has only one central eye that can be used for a greater prying eyes metamagic component. As a general rule, one monster provides enough substance for a single casting of the relevant spell (such as the dire bat fur needed for arcane eye or the chimera scales needed for obscure object). On some cases, the number of parts that can be obtained from one creature is obvious by the nature of the monster (one minotaur can supply enough metamagic components for two castings of maze, and each of a gorgon's four hoves can be used for a separate casting of acid fog). If the number of parts is not obvious or doesn't necessarily follow the general rule, assume that one monster can provide up to 1d4 separate parts that are suitable for metamagic components. (This guideline applies to such components as the janni eyelash needed for invisibility and the troll blood needed for regenerate.)

HOUSE RULE: METAMAGIC AND SORCERERS I

A sorcerer who wants to make better use of his metamagic feats, including the possibility of using Quicken Spell can treat a metamagic version of a spell as a unique spell known. He must know any metamagic feats he applies to the spell, and he must know the unmodified version of the spell. For example, a 10the-level sorcerer who knows magic missile and the Quicken Spell feat can add "quickened magic missile" to his list of spells known, counting as his one 5th-level spell.

-James Wyatt

HOUSE RULE: METAMAGIC AND SORCERERS II

Som players in my game who run sorcerers feel they get short-changed by the rules for metamagic feats. They don't like spending a full-round action to use the few metamagic feats they know, and they especially don't like being no able to use the Quicken Spell feat. I came up with a solution that works for me.

I allow sorcerers who know metamagic feats to "reserve" (essentially, prepare) spell slots for use with metamagic feats they know. For example, a 10th-level sorcerer can cast three 5th-level spells and five 4th-level spells per day (plus a buch of lower-level spells). I let him mark any or all of those slots (or any others he has) as reserved for use with particular metamagic feats. He might say that one of his 5th-level spells slots is a Quicken Spells slot and two of his 4th-level spells slots are reserved for Empower Spell. I rule that it takes 15 minutes per spell slot for the sorcerer to reserve these slots.

The sorcerer, when he reserves the slots, does not have to specify the exact spells that occupy them. He has, of course, designated the level of the spell: Only a 0- or 1st-level spells can fill up the Quicken Spell slot - it could be magic missile, mage armor, or any other 1st-level spell he knows. Empower Spell adds two levels to a spells effective level, so empowered versions of 2nd-level spells occupy the 4th-level slots. If the sorcerer changes his mind later in the day, he can "unreserve" the slots by taking 15 minutes of time per slot to do so. Otherwise, the slots remain reserved until the sorcerer either casts spells using those slots or sleeps for a night, resetting all his spell slots to normal.

-Ed Stark

BEHIND THE CURTAIN: METAMAGIC COMPONENTS

If you use this variant, you may find that characters are less likely to take metamagic feats because they can just pay for the occasional metamagic effect by using a metamagic component instead. Spellcasters who use metamagic components repeatedly may all behing the other PCs in terms of wealth, because metamagic components are quite expensive. Although using a metamagic component is more expensive than casting from a scroll with the metamagic version of the spell, a spellcaster gets more bang for her buck with a metamagic component, because she can use her own caster level and ability score to set the spell's parameters such as save DC, damage, and range. Metamagic components give spellcasters more flexibility, becuase they can either cast a spell normally or get the extra benefit of the metamagic component, and they don't have to decide until the moment spellcasting begins.

Metamagic components are an effective tool for NPC spellcasters in particular, who often have only a few rounds to cast spells before the encounter ends. But because metamagic components are expensive, such NPCs may use up more of their treasure than is typical.